ART in the BMW Sport Touring world is Alpine Riding Tour. And DART is Driftless Alpine Riding Tour, referring to the "driftless" area (unglaciated portions) of WI, MN, and IA. These events are similar to STOC and NatSTOC events here. That is, mostly unstructured riding/camping/socializing events.
I made it to my first one held Prairie du Chien WI. It was hot. No one camped. I was totally rung out after my 6-hour ride down there in mid-90s heat with high humidity. I met a few new folks and found some unique spots along the Mississippi River. The ride back home was cooler but I hit terrible traffic from a music event that was on my route. There was a mile-long line of RVs that was stopped and more rolling in for the next 5 miles all coming from a music event. Fortunately most were in the oncoming lane but then I encountered some northbound RVs. And that's where I really appreciated my new RT's performance.
Now the bragging. I'm loving this new BMW R1300 RT. It is by far the most comfortable and capable motorcycle I've ever ridden. Fuel mileage has been between 49-59 mpg. Wind management and ergonomics are well thought out. And there are way more options for settings and configurations than I can use. Yes, complex is the word. But I've got it pretty much figured out - after about 2,000 miles. The RT is designed for touring and performance and it really delivers on comfort and agility. So far I've added a tank bag and crash bars and mounted my Garmin GPS. It is reported to have a great audio system but I've never used it except to turn on the radio in the shop.
Following the DART weekend I made a trip to MN with my brother-in-law (on an Ultra Classic) and sister-in-law (on a Spyder). We met a friend there on a new Gold Wing for a weekend or riding. Of course we compared the three big two wheelers. My RT was about 300# lighter than the others, got much better fuel mileage, and the ergonomics of each were quite different so rider comfort was an individual assessment. However all 3 were basically a computer with a motorcycle built around it.
On an unrelated note my son found a way to wreck his 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner yesterday. While traveling on a 2-lane highway there was two oncoming cars with their left turn signals on approaching an intersection with more traffic behind them about to pass them on the right in a bypass lane. The first car attempting a left turn began to turn and my son was off the throttle and on the brake. The car turned in front of him and the second car followed right behind the first one. He missed the first one OK but couldn't avoid the second one. He kept the big 900+ pound bike up. He is basically OK but the motorcycle isn't. Totaled. His long skid mark told the responding LEO all he needed to know to write citations. Not an unusual crash, but it is remarkable that a motorcycle took on a Chevy and stayed up. Lucky.
DART rider bikes L-R RT 1250, my RT 1300, 2006 RT1100, red Ducati
On my way home. (read the sign)
I made it to my first one held Prairie du Chien WI. It was hot. No one camped. I was totally rung out after my 6-hour ride down there in mid-90s heat with high humidity. I met a few new folks and found some unique spots along the Mississippi River. The ride back home was cooler but I hit terrible traffic from a music event that was on my route. There was a mile-long line of RVs that was stopped and more rolling in for the next 5 miles all coming from a music event. Fortunately most were in the oncoming lane but then I encountered some northbound RVs. And that's where I really appreciated my new RT's performance.
Now the bragging. I'm loving this new BMW R1300 RT. It is by far the most comfortable and capable motorcycle I've ever ridden. Fuel mileage has been between 49-59 mpg. Wind management and ergonomics are well thought out. And there are way more options for settings and configurations than I can use. Yes, complex is the word. But I've got it pretty much figured out - after about 2,000 miles. The RT is designed for touring and performance and it really delivers on comfort and agility. So far I've added a tank bag and crash bars and mounted my Garmin GPS. It is reported to have a great audio system but I've never used it except to turn on the radio in the shop.
Following the DART weekend I made a trip to MN with my brother-in-law (on an Ultra Classic) and sister-in-law (on a Spyder). We met a friend there on a new Gold Wing for a weekend or riding. Of course we compared the three big two wheelers. My RT was about 300# lighter than the others, got much better fuel mileage, and the ergonomics of each were quite different so rider comfort was an individual assessment. However all 3 were basically a computer with a motorcycle built around it.
On an unrelated note my son found a way to wreck his 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner yesterday. While traveling on a 2-lane highway there was two oncoming cars with their left turn signals on approaching an intersection with more traffic behind them about to pass them on the right in a bypass lane. The first car attempting a left turn began to turn and my son was off the throttle and on the brake. The car turned in front of him and the second car followed right behind the first one. He missed the first one OK but couldn't avoid the second one. He kept the big 900+ pound bike up. He is basically OK but the motorcycle isn't. Totaled. His long skid mark told the responding LEO all he needed to know to write citations. Not an unusual crash, but it is remarkable that a motorcycle took on a Chevy and stayed up. Lucky.
DART rider bikes L-R RT 1250, my RT 1300, 2006 RT1100, red Ducati
On my way home. (read the sign)
